Laurie Colwin

This delightful comedy of manners and morals is about romantic friendship, romantic marriage, and romantic love--about four people who are good-hearted and sane, lucky and gifted, and who find one another. Knowing that happiness is an art form that requires energy, discipline, and talent, Guido, Holly, Vincnt, and Misty deal with jealousy, estrangement, and other perils involved in the search for love.

Happy All the Time

abi a

Misty's personality was a deliberate creation. She felt she was not unlike one of those seashells that looks elaborate, but is only the housing for a very soft animal.

A 'jewel of romantic comedy' (New York Times) from the late great author, adored by Nigella Lawson, Dolly Alderton, Katherine Heiny and Caroline O'Donoghue. It was just as she suspected: love turned you into perfect mush. GUIDO is not in the habit of falling in love with women he sees in museums. Until he meets HOLLY. Precise about everything, she knows what she likes: pressed sheets, oranges (but nothing orange-flavoured), tea on a tray - and now, Guido. Meanwhile VINCENT, Guido's eternally cheerful best friend and cousin, falls for his misanthropic new colleague, MISTY. She seems as uninterested in love as she is in Vincent (at first). Through courtship, arguments, wedding plans and other perils, the couples find a way to be happy (almost) all the time. 'Seriously wise, seriously wonderful, seriously comic - your life will be richer for it' Katherine Heiny 'Uplifting, funny, generous. One of the most comforting, clever novels I know' Samantha Ellis 'Human and humorous, full of wisdom and love' Emma Straub

 feels like a warm hug at the end of an emotionally draining day. it’s like that peek of sunshine after a rain shower. it’s warm, it’s effervescent, it’s cozy, it’s radiant. i think this might have been the easiest five stars i’ve ever given in my life. it completely transcended my expectations. reading it felt like a perfect palate cleanser from the sadness and monotony of my previous reads. vincent, guido, holly, and misty are my family now. they’re so lovable and simultaneously relatable. they feel like genuine human beings with complex emotions, different thought processes, personalities, and love languages. they feel like people i’d walk past on the street instead of paragraphs on pieces of paper. i was truly immersed in their world and now i’m a little sad to leave it. i will always believe that is the mark of a good book with excellent writing, though. and i can now say with confidence that i am completely and wholly in love with laurie colwin’s writing style. i imagine i will visit more of her work very soon (much to my excitement). my friends better prepare for how sick of me they’re going to get because i will plug and recommend this book until my dying breath.

tink 😵‍💫⭐

happy all the time feels like a warm hug at the end of an emotionally draining day. it’s like that peek of sunshine after a rain shower. it’s warm, it’s effervescent, it’s cozy, it’s radiant. i think this might have been the easiest five stars i’ve ever given in my life. it completely transcended my expectations. reading it felt like a perfect palate cleanser from the sadness and monotony of my previous reads. vincent, guido, holly, and misty are my family now. they’re so lovable and simultaneously relatable. they feel like genuine human beings with complex emotions, different thought processes, personalities, and love languages. they feel like people i’d walk past on the street instead of paragraphs on pieces of paper. i was truly immersed in their world and now i’m a little sad to leave it. i will always believe that is the mark of a good book with excellent writing, though. and i can now say with confidence that i am completely and wholly in love with laurie colwin’s writing style. i imagine i will visit more of her work very soon (much to my excitement). my friends better prepare for how sick of me they’re going to get because i will plug and recommend this book until my dying breath.

I will make sure to read all her books , if you are depressed read this book <3

readingsnmusings 

** spoiler alert **
           A reread of my first Colwin!

"At college they fooled around, spent money, and wondered what would become of them when they grew up."

"He was serious in matters of the heart, and serious in matters of aesthetics."

"And why do you find your colleagues so disgusting?”
“Look at them,” said Misty. “They are disgusting. So clean. So gentile. So comfortable. So well fed. Rich people make me sick.”

"There was a certain sweetness in the midst of his silliness, and he looked like a man who wanted to be played with".

"Education, she said, was something that enriched your life—not something you did things with."

The whole book is underlined!!!!

very very good writing, truly fantastic insane woman representation

Jennifer Dieter

pippa

Guido and Vincent, best friends (and third cousins), aren't expecting to fall head-over-heels in love, but that is exactly what happens. Guido is smitten with Holly, a dazzling young woman who chafes at the idea of complacency, while Vincent falls for Misty, a work colleague with an acerbic sense of humor who seems as uninterested in love as she is in Vincent (at first). In the months that follow, both couples will experience the rituals of courtship, jealousy, estrangement, family entanglements, and other perils of the heart, as they try to find love in spite of themselves. Colwin is a master of portraying the messiness of life: here in hilarious and endearing prose, she follows these two improbable pairs, and their families, as they navigate and ultimately find happiness together—if not all the time, but for most of it. A modern classic first published in 1978, Happy All the Time is as much a sophisticated romantic comedy about the love between two partners as it is a novel about the powerful bonds shared by family members, friends, colleagues and confidants.

Happy All the Time

Reviews

Highlights